| Posted: March 03, 2017
Jenny Dinmore has been supported by Cecil Weir's charity for the homeless Julian House
The decision to send a Bath beggar to prison has come under fire from a city homeless charity.
There's "really no value" in making Jenny Dinmore serve a third jail term after she was arrested for begging in Bath city centre, according to the fundraising director of Julian House.
The 41-year-old, a well-known homeless woman in Bath, is subject to a criminal behaviour order which bars her from asking the public for money.
She has broken this on numerous occasions and was given prison sentences last July, last December and, most recently, last month for doing so.
Cecil Weir, of the charity Julian House, said: "I'm not sure society is gaining a jot from sending her back inside.
"There's really no value in doing it. Is it going to help her by putting her inside?
"What it's going to do is take up the space that could probably be taken up by what I would call a proper criminal.
Read more: Jailed beggar Jenny Dinmore needs rehabilitation and a home, says fellow Bath homeless woman
"She's breaking the law, by all accounts she's making a nuisance of herself but jailing her is not a great help."
Dinmore has been supported by the charity for a number of years, Mr Weir said, but that it's not unusual for rough sleepers and other clients to seek its help over such a period.
"We will give her as much support as we can and help deter her from committing criminal acts," he pledged.
"She's from the town and friends of hers from a long way back have relayed support to her through us.
Read next: Julian House Christmas Appeal - Bath homeless charity hits £120,000 fundraising goal
"A lot of people care about her wellbeing, not just Julian House."
Julian House runs a 20-bed hostel in Manvers Street for single men and women who find themselves on the streets with no other housing options.
It also runs a drop-in centre, an assertive outreach service, a range of supported housing projects and domestic violence services.
Its goal is to reconnect its clients' with their communities and some cases with families and loved ones.
source: http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/society-not-gaining-a-jot-by-jailing-bath-homeless-woman-jenny-dinmore-over-begging-for-money/story-30176926-detail/story.html
The 41-year-old, a well-known homeless woman in Bath, is subject to a criminal behaviour order which bars her from asking the public for money.
She has broken this on numerous occasions and was given prison sentences last July, last December and, most recently, last month for doing so.
Cecil Weir, of the charity Julian House, said: "I'm not sure society is gaining a jot from sending her back inside.
"There's really no value in doing it. Is it going to help her by putting her inside?
"What it's going to do is take up the space that could probably be taken up by what I would call a proper criminal.
Read more: Jailed beggar Jenny Dinmore needs rehabilitation and a home, says fellow Bath homeless woman
"She's breaking the law, by all accounts she's making a nuisance of herself but jailing her is not a great help."
Dinmore has been supported by the charity for a number of years, Mr Weir said, but that it's not unusual for rough sleepers and other clients to seek its help over such a period.
"We will give her as much support as we can and help deter her from committing criminal acts," he pledged.
"She's from the town and friends of hers from a long way back have relayed support to her through us.
Read next: Julian House Christmas Appeal - Bath homeless charity hits £120,000 fundraising goal
"A lot of people care about her wellbeing, not just Julian House."
Julian House runs a 20-bed hostel in Manvers Street for single men and women who find themselves on the streets with no other housing options.
It also runs a drop-in centre, an assertive outreach service, a range of supported housing projects and domestic violence services.
Its goal is to reconnect its clients' with their communities and some cases with families and loved ones.
source: http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/society-not-gaining-a-jot-by-jailing-bath-homeless-woman-jenny-dinmore-over-begging-for-money/story-30176926-detail/story.html
